Omri Asenheim

Omri Asenheim is an Israeli investigative journalist, reporter, documentary director and author. His work has examined security, criminal and public affairs that carry consequences far beyond the immediate news cycle. Through television investigations, books and documentary storytelling, he has brought difficult episodes in Israeli life into public view and helped preserve them as part of the country’s documented memory.

From rescue operations to journalism

Asenheim grew up in the moshav of Tel Adashim. When he enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces, he volunteered for an airborne search-and-rescue and evacuation unit, where he trained as a combat soldier and took part in fighting in southern Lebanon. In 1997, he was among the unit’s soldiers who rescued Golani Brigade troops during the Wadi Saluki fire disaster. The experience placed him close to the human cost of military emergencies and preceded his later journalistic focus on the army, national security and institutional responsibility.

He began his media career as a football commentator on Radio Without Break, while also working as a reporter and researcher for the newspaper Ha'ir. In 2004, he joined Maariv as an investigative reporter specializing in criminal affairs and military and security issues. Print journalism gave him a foundation in long-form reporting, document-based research and the careful testing of competing accounts — skills that became central to his later television work.

Investigative reporting on Uvda

In 2006, Asenheim joined the investigative television program Uvda, where he became known for reporting and directing investigations into cases with serious human and institutional implications. One of his best-known investigations concerned Shimon Cooper, whose two wives had died. The broadcast led to a police investigation and ultimately to Cooper’s conviction for the murders of both women. The case demonstrated how sustained reporting can bring overlooked questions to public attention and prompt authorities to reexamine a troubling set of facts.

Another prominent investigation, broadcast in April 2016, examined allegations of sexual assaults and other offenses attributed to Rehavam Ze'evi. The report entered a difficult space where public memory, the national standing of a major figure and the testimony of alleged victims intersected. Work of this kind contributed to Israel’s broader conversation about power, accountability, harm and the responsibility to hear testimony that had long remained outside the center of public discussion.

In 2009, Asenheim received the Sokolow Award for Investigative Journalism for a report on a secret anthrax-vaccine experiment involving IDF soldiers. The investigation raised questions about transparency and the protection of soldiers participating in medical research. In 2011, he received the Primor Award from the Second Authority for Television and Radio for an investigation into lobbyists in the Knesset. He received the award again in 2015 for an investigation into the activity of Israel’s Institute of Forensic Medicine. Together, these subjects — medical experimentation, political influence and forensic accountability — address the relationship between citizens and the institutions entrusted with their safety and their rights.

Turning investigations into lasting records

In 2012, Asenheim published his first book, Tze'elim: The Trauma of the Sayeret Matkal, about the Tze'elim B disaster. The book expanded the journalistic discussion of the tragedy and gave readers a sustained account of the event, its consequences and the trauma that remained after it.

In September 2016, Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir published his second book, Catch a Killer. It examines the Shimon Cooper case, the Uvda investigation into it and the events that led to Cooper’s conviction for double murder. By developing the televised investigation into a book, Asenheim created a fuller written record of the case and allowed readers to follow the accumulation of evidence, the reporting process and the changing understanding of a complex criminal affair.

Documentary production and teaching

In 2020, Asenheim founded Storyline Productions. The company’s first project was the series Pollard, broadcast on Kan 11 in 2022. The series addressed a major intelligence affair that left a lasting mark on Israel–United States relations and on Israeli public debate. Moving from investigative reporting to serialized documentary storytelling enabled Asenheim to present a complicated historical episode to a broad audience through context, testimony and archival material.

Alongside his media work, Asenheim has been part of the teaching staff at Koteret, the communications and journalism school at Tel Aviv University. Teaching allows him to pass practical experience on to emerging journalists, including the importance of verification, persistence, responsible work with sources and awareness of the consequences of publication. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and communications from Tel Aviv University and is a graduate of Koteret.

Why this legacy belongs in Moreshet

Omri Asenheim merits inclusion in Moreshet because his work documents consequential chapters in Israeli life and shows how investigative journalism can affect society beyond the broadcast or printed page. His reporting has addressed the safety of soldiers, institutional responsibility, criminal investigations, sexual violence and political influence — subjects that touch citizens’ lives and their sense of justice.

The books and documentary series he has created preserve testimony, questions and memories that might otherwise fade. His contribution therefore belongs not only to journalism, but also to Israel’s culture of documentation and to the ability of future generations to understand how public memory is formed. For Moreshet.com, Asenheim represents an important strand of Israeli achievement: the connection between investigation, civic responsibility, documentary creation and education. His career demonstrates how patient, evidence-based work can affect institutions, families and the public conversation.